Update - Friday 6th August 2010

WE DID IT!!!!!! We'd laughed in the face of 200 miles, constant uphills, thrilling downhills and dodged kamikaze drivers to cycle from to . Have a look at the photos and video (the first comment on the video has a day by day description of the whole journey).

A great challenge and a supreme effort by all concerned. We'd made a lot of friends along the way and the camaraderie was simply one of the highlights of the experience. Everyone cheered each other on, no one was left alone and everyone shared in the sense of achievement because everyone had shared the aches and pains along the way.

But the people that also made a supreme effort where you guys! YES you guys! You were the ones that decided to put your faith in us and help support our charity by digging deep into your pockets and sponsoring us. So I apologise for this sounding like the ultimate cliché but I know we were not the only ones telling ourselves that there was no way we were going to fail because of all you guys that had backed us. So on behalf of the Bluefin Cycle Club (Helen, Dan, Nick, John and myself Peter) and also on behalf of Doctors of the world the true beneficiaries of your extreme kindness and generosity we thank you :-)

Thanks Bluefin CC

Update - 5th May 2010

The Bluefin Cycling Club is on a roll again! This time we're raising money for Medecins du Monde - a fantastic cause which sends volunteers overseas to help those effected by natural disasters like the hurricane in Myanmar (Burma). Medecins du Monde also helps vulnerable people affected by conflict and extreme poverty with programmes like their emergency response to Haiti and their project to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe.

Please donate now - the more you can spare, the more help gets through to vulnerable people across the world.

Thank you!

Dan, Helen, John, Nick and Pete, and Medecins du Monde.

Messages from the team:

Helen

Medecins du Monde UK do incredible work - sending volunteers overseas to provide medical care to vulnerable people effected by natural disasters (e.g. the recent hurricane in Burma), conflict (emergency response sent to Sudan) and extreme poverty (HIV/AIDS prevention amongst isolated populations in Zimbabwe). Their offices also run healthcare projects for marginalised populations in their capital cities who cannot access mainstream healthcare services. This is such important work, and I hope that you will sponsor me & the Bluefin Cycle Club to help meet our fundraising target :-)

We’ll be cycling to over 3 (long) days: 116km, 88km, 114km, so am counting on some good French espresso to get me up those hills..!

Allez les bleus et blancs!

Dan

It's great to cycle for another charity, and support vulnerable people the world over with essential medical support. I'm looking forward to what should be a challenging cycle - but it's your donations that make it all worthwhile!

Thanks also to my family - I've taken a bit of a liberty in taking so much time off, so hopefully we'll get a great result for our charity to make it worthwhile.

Pete

I’ll admit that far from being a road loving two wheels good kinda guy this is going to be a first for me and I must say I’m really excited by the prospect of tired…no…aching…no…what’s the word I’m looking for…ah yes…numb legs. But why put yourself through it I hear you cry…oh why Pete why? Well it’s pure and simple – it will all be worth it as it’s for a fantastic charity, Médecins du Monde . Echoing the sentiments of my fellow team mates, Médecins du Monde UK do some incredible work all over the world in all sorts of environments political and environmental which makes our cycle challenge all the more worthwhile. Though I will admit its not the mileage that scares me but the way every cycling junkie keeps stressing the merits of this “anti chafe” thing…which somehow doesn’t sound quite right. Therefore if you pledge to sponsor us for this great charity then we pledge to make it to the finish line.

John

 

But, I am always up for a challenge and never having been involved with a long cycle ride as this it will be an achievement i'd be proud to say I have completed. Above everything else, it is for a great cause. Having had the privaledge of visiting Malawi and witnessing the importance of such medical aid, I can understand the vital need for a charity like Doctors of the world, so thank you in advance of anything you can donate.

Nick

Why the hell am I doing this?

Three reasons really:

1)      For a very worthy charity, Médecins du Monde UK – I give plenty each year to charity but never actually do anything!

2)      For myself – to prove my theory that sheer bloody-mindedness can overcome a distinct lack of fitness

3)      Peer Pressure – Dan can be very persuasive

When I floated this past Paula, my wife, I recounted my training times of old and calculated the daily pace with a ‘how hard can it be’ tone.

Paula then calculated that those times were set 21 years ago and anyway I didn’t have a bike!

We then debated how well muscle tone can survive 20 years of driving a desk and drinking my own body weight in Sancerre every week.

The Bluefin CC Pledge

Whirr whirr whirr go the wheels,  one kilometre, two kilometre, three,

Allons y a Paris the Bluefn Cycle team and me

No mountain shall stop us (though it may slow us down a tad)

No volcanic ash will stand in our way (Pete..its at 30000ft and floats rather than stands!) [Its called poetic licence…]

No speed limit on the Autoroute will hold us back

400k’s and decounting which I know isn’t a word

400k’s in 3 days it may seem kind of crazy and absurd

400k’s is what we pledge to see through

5.5K and all your help and support in raising it is all we ask of you.

Thanks Bluefin CC